A Record 20.3 Million Americans Watched The US Women's Soccer Team Beat Japan To Win The World Cup

A high for any televised soccer match, male or female.

The U.S. Women's national soccer team recently defeated Japan after bursting out of the gate with a relentless four goals in the first 16 minutes of the 2015 World Cup final. In doing so, they exacted a measure of revenge for their defeat at the hands of Japan in the 2011 final, and plenty of fans tuned in to cheer on the victory. A record 20.3 million Americans watched the USWNT win 5-2, making it the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history.

Riding player Carli Lloyd's hat trick, this was the U.S.' first FIFA Women's World Cup win since 1999, picking up over two million more viewers than the U.S. men's game against Portugal drew in during the 2014 World Cup. That 2-2 tie had an audience of 18.2 million when it aired on ESPN — the women's 2015 final aired on Fox, and according to the network and Nielsen figures, its post-match discussion retained a huge 14.6 million viewers.